Life’s too short to have an Instagram account saturated with unrealistic expectations and photoshop. Instead, follow some of these uplifting and loving accounts to brighten your day, serving as a daily reminder that you are beautiful, strong and capable of anything.
Megan is a genuine ray of sunshine. Her posts are guaranteed to make you want to get up and dance around for no reason: an absolute must-follow for everyone. She also even has a bestselling book now! Just read one of her Instagram captions:
“The thing is, there was always more weight to lose. More ‘problem areas’ to tone. More ‘flaws’ to fix. Which meant that happiness kept slipping through my grip. I couldn’t understand how I was playing by the rules so well and still missing out on the grand prize. It turns out, when you put the grand prize of happiness at the end of a body transformation, you’ll always be playing for an illusion. Because changing your body doesn’t heal your soul. Losing weight doesn’t fulfil your life purpose. And punishing your body every day for how it looks will never make you happy. You cannot hate yourself into loving yourself, no matter how hard you try.
There’s a lot more of me now. Not just of my body, but of every part of me. My voice. My mind. My passion. The parts that matter a whole lot more than the size of my thighs. There’s more happiness, too. Not every day – it comes and goes just like everyone else’s. But when it’s here, it’s not hollow anymore. It’s full, and vibrant, and healing. And it will NEVER be dependent on something as meaningless as my size again. I’d take that kind of happiness over the other, any day of the week. #BodyPositivePower”
This account is run by two girls from Canada. It isn’t just about a specific person, but is instead jam-packed with self-love and body positive quotes and images that can really help lift your spirits.
Aarti is simply an incredible woman who has been through so much and still decides to live a life of positivity, inspiration and happiness. You will fall in love with her and her Instagram will inspire you to find happiness and self-worth even in the smallest things.
One of her posts:
“Months, I spent sitting across the pool in my wheelchair at the balcony with tears welling up in my eyes. Will I dance again? I asked. Why is life being so treacherous? I asked. When will I be able to walk without pain? I asked myself. Everyday, I flipped my finger at swimmers in the pool. Just like with the injury in 2004, that took away my ability to sprint or have Long distance runs. And back then I’d flip the finger at runners lolol! I’m chuckling now because it’s Diwali and here I am posting a swimsuit. But that’s how life has been this year. Unpredictable. You were there when I took my first steps into the pool. That moment? Blissful. Priceless. But there was so much more to be done. I have attended a rock concert, danced (for like a minute) at a wedding, and now I have started to swim laps again. For that I am grateful. 2017 has been the year of Transformation. It will be one for the books. After the trepidation of my very first swimsuit shoot since the injury a few days ago, my nerves were shaken off and now I can’t wait for as much pool time as the weather allows me. So far, it’s still hot sunny days. Not complaining! Let me also tell you that disabled or able, you can do what you want to do. With a few tweaks, you Can do it and I’ve met some amazing people over the months that gave me hope and encouraged me to think out of the box. I’m never going to be able to run a marathon now or dance the night away. But it’s all good! Life has plenty of ways for us to destress, unwind and have fun.”
“Too many times I spent in oversized t-shirts, hiding my thighs with board shorts & dragging out the process of getting changed after swimming class at school. I sat with wet with arms wrapped around my body waiting to be able to score a free toilet cubicle & take that sopping, heavy and drenched t-shirt off without the embarrassment of a classmate seeing my rolls. No way will I ever spend another summer hiding, another summer worrying about what beach goers think of my body, another moment waiting to feel the warm water on my belly, waiting to feel free. This summer my skin will be relishing in the sunshine and my body dancing among the waves. Don’t wait a minute longer embrace your body and embrace summer.”
Milly is not so much a body positive instagrammer, but more a major advocate of mental illness awareness and anti-slut shaming. Her feed is just a whole world of badass support and honestly, which you will love.
@effyourbeautystandards This account is incredible because it showcases a collective of hundreds of different women who look totally beautiful and unique and celebrates the reality instead of the photoshopped ‘perfection’ women are forced to see in the media/advertising every single day.
Six accounts to bring a little bit of light into your feed and remind you as you scroll and double-tap, that everyone is beautiful and that being happy and healthy should be celebrated, not your dress size of or your measurements.
Edited by Tia Ralhan
Images from Instagram accounts mentioned